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COI^HIGHT DEPOSm 



IN THE 
LAND OF DAKOTA 

A Little Book of North Dakota Verse 

BY 
HULDAH LUCILE WINSTED 




BOSTON 

RICHARD G. BADGER 

THE GORHAM PRESS 



Copyright, 1920, by Huldah L. Winsted 



All Rights Reserved 






§)CI.A604155 



Made in the United States of America 

V 

The Gorham Press, Boston, U. S. A. 



NOl/ 16/920 



AAfi I 



TO MY FRIEND 
MRS. WILLIAM A. ANDERSON 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

In the Land of Dakota 9 

In the East ye struggle for glory 

The Seasons in North Dakota 10 

Spring — and the wild March wind 

The Deluge — ^A Berthold Indian Legend . . . i i 

Long agOj yes, oh, so long since 

North Dakota Sunsets 15 

Such beautiful tints in the western skies 

North Dakota — Past and Present 16 

Low-lying hills, "bad lands" and rolling plain 

A Prairie Sunrise 18 

Grey and silent is the morning 

Dakota Land, Dakota Land 19 

Dakota land, Dakota land 

North Dakota's Mission 21 

Pioneers of North Dakota 

We Who Have Lived in Dakota 23 

fFe who have lived in Dakota 

MISCELLANEOUS VERSES 

Guiding Voices 27 

Echoes of beloved voices 

A Prayer 28 

Make me gentle. Lord, and kind 

To A Friend 29 

My love for thee, lips cannot tell 
5 



6 Contents 

PAGE 

A Dream 30 

It was midnight 

The Light 33 

The way is long, the night is drear 

Sister Dear, I Love You So 34 

Sister dear, I love you so 

Night Watches 35 

In the still watches of night 

Men Are Three 36 

There are all kinds of people we meet 

Smiles and Tears 3^ 

Swift run the hours on to days 

Columbia to Shakespeare: An Appreciation . . 39 

We are gathered here 

The Answer 41 

Writ in the skies above me 

The Immigrant to the Stars and Stripes .... 41 
Flag, on all the earth the best 

The Peace of the Woods • 43 

Oh, oft when I come to the city 

Keep the Path Clear 45 

Oh, do not trifle with friendship 



IN THE LAND OF DAKOTA 



IN THE LAND OF DAKOTA 

In the East ye struggle for glory 
And power, and wealth, and fame. 
And time ye expend, and much labor, 
To trace down your ancestors' name; 
But here in the land of Dakota 
Where the winds sweep over the plains, 
Is winnowed away much useless "chaff," 
And only true worth remains. 

In the East ye crush out the life-blood 
Of innocent children, grown old 
By premature toiling and labor 
To fill up your coffers with gold ; 
But here in the Land of Dakota 
Our children are happy and free. 
And over the plains of its limitless mains 
Re-echo their laughter and glee. 

In the East ye build up great mansions 
And sky-scrapers gaunt and high. 
That shut out the glory and grandeur 
Of the infinite tender sky; 
But here in the Land of Dakota 
Our eyes look up on high 
And our souls learn wonderful lessons 
From the white clouds sailing by. 
9 



In the Land of Dakota 



THE SEASONS IN NORTH DAKOTA 

Spring — and the wild March wind 
The snow-covered prairies sweep; 

From North Dakota's frozen clod 
The fur-clad Pasque Flowers peep. 

Summer — and gentle showers, 
And soft the zephyrs blow; 

O'er North Dakota's rolling plains 
The modest Roses grow. 

Autumn — and burnished skies, 
And parching, sun-scorched sod; 

And by the wayside still there blooms 
The stately Goldenrod. 

Winter — the flowers are dead 

And fierce the cold winds blow; 

Yet 'spite of North Dakota's snow 
The flowers of Hope still grow. 



10 



In the Land of Dakota 



THE DELUGE 

(A Berthold Indian Legend) 

Long ago, yes, oh, so long since, — 
When the world was young and fair, 
All the animals were friendly; 
E'en the bison and the bear 
Aided man with all their cunning. 
Helped him with their counsels grave. 
Helped him as the gods alone can — 
Made him wise and strong and brave. 
And the flowers on the prairies 
Blossomed ever, shy and sweet. 
For the land of the Dakotas 
Knew not frost, nor killing heat. 

But there lived a dread god. North Wind, 
Cruel was he, with heart of stone. 
Feared of all and loved by no one. 
Living to himself alone 
In the land of snow and blizzard. 
In the land of deadening cold. 
Plotting ever some new mischief, 
Some new ravage, cruel and bold. 
And one day this mighty North Wind 
Left his throne of ice and snow, 
II 



In the Land of Dakota 



In the cold, far distant northland 
Where the wriggling ice-worms glow; 
Southward came he, and the flowers 
Bent their lovely heads in death, 
For from out his icy nostrils 
Came an all-destroying breath. — 
At the mighty, stately forests 
Angrily his teeth he gnashed, 
With one mighty blow he felled them 
And with chains the rivers lashed ; 
Ceased their laughter and their murmur. 
Ceased their sweet life-giving flow. — 
All the birds and beasts in terror 
Fled, and knew not where to go ; 
Food they found not, and no shelter. 
Dying were the mortals all. 
And a slow relentless snow shroud 
Draped the earth as with a pall. — 
Death supreme reigned ; loud the North Wind 
Roared defiance to the gods ! — 
Birds and beasts and man in terror 
Fled, and, dying, called the gods 
To avenge their death and suffering, 
To unite them one and all 
In the holy cause of vengeance. 
To secure the North Wind's fall. — 
And the South Wind, fairest maiden 
12 



In the Land of Dakota 



Of the gods, took up their cause ; 

Girded now herself for battle, 

And after a moment's pause 

Called unto her loyal brothers, 

The strong East Wind, and the West, 

"Help revenge the suffering mortals" — 

And they granted her request. 

Strong the fight raged in Dakota 
'Twixt the North Wind and his foes, 
Now one side yields, now the other. 
Fierce and loud the tempest blows; — 
Savagely the monster charges 
Grappling with his unseen foes 
While a wild, chaotic blizzard. 
Such as ne'er was seen, arose. 
Hiding all within its fury. 
Made the daylight dark as night. 
For the very gods were grappling 
In a last terrific fight. — 

Ages long the battle lasted — 
Then the maiden fair and lovely, 
Smiled benignant on her foe, 
And his very heart was melting 
(For 'twas made of ice and snow) ; 
13 



In the Land of Dakota 



Loosed the rivers from their bondage, 
Vanished now the shroud of snow, 
And o'er North Dakota's prairies 
Flowers fair began to grow; 
With the advent of the flowers 
Came the birds and beasts and man, 
Built again their homes and wigwams — 
And no more they anxious scan 
The horizon for the North Wind, 
Knowing that he's met his fate; 
But the South Wind, fair and lovely 
Rules now o'er Dakota's state. 

Southward now each year the North Wind 
Wends his way to see her face. 
To the land of the Dakotas 
Where the battle once took place; 
Smiling sweet, the maiden greets him, 
Warms again his chilly heart ; 
Satisfied, he briefly lingers — 
With him, winter's cold, depart. 



14 



In the Land of Dakota 



NORTH DAKOTA SUNSETS 

Such beautiful tints in the western skies ! 

Purples and gold and the deepest rose^ 

Crimson and scarlet the heavens suffuse 

Where the sun of the prairies sinks to repose; — 

Spaces where lingering daylight plays 

With the skirts of night in hex sombre gown, 

Spaces where gathering mists hang low 

Ere the shadows of night come drooping down. — 

Such, North Dakota, thy sunsets are — 

Spreading their glory near and far, 

Flooding the soul with a holier peace 

That lingers long after the daylight shall cease! 



15 



In the Land of Dakota 



NORTH DAKOTA— PAST AND PRESENT 

(The Passing of the Red Man) 

Low-lying hills, ''bad lands" and rolling plain, 
Stretching afar like billows on the main. 
With winding rivers seeking distant homes, 
And leagues of virgin prairie 
Where stately bison roams. 

The brave Mandan, the Sheyenne and the Sioux, 
The Chippewa and the Grosventre too. 
Along the rivers and the plains did dwell; 
The land they called Dakota, 
And methink they named it well. 

And here they lived for centuries untold, 
Watching the secrets of the plains unfold; 
Their homes they built and smoked the pipe of peace, 
And vowed by the Great Spirit 
Their friendship would not cease. 

Gone are the braves. The papooses and the squaw 
No longer wait for winter snows to thaw ; 
The tepee's gone, the peace pipe and the dance, 
Gone, gone, alas! forever. 
The Red Man's fighting chance. 
i6 



In the Land of Dakota 



For pale face came, and from Dakota's plain 
The Red Man drove, and claimed his vast domain ; 
No power on earth could stay the Viking's son, 
For "iron men" are born 
In the land of midnight sun. 

***** 
Onward they came, these Northmen, feared of old, 
Bold pioneers, to wrest the hidden gold 
From North Dakota's hills and virgin sod ; 
The ploughshare won the land 
For these "master men" of God. 

***** 
Their children now look out on well-tilled fields, 
And garner wealth, that many a rich mine yields ; 
The argosies of earth their treasures bear — 
For empty rank and title and sham. 
They little care. 

•SJr ^ 7^ v^ ^ 

O boys and girls of North Dakota's Land, 
Guard, love her well! Pledge her your heart and 

hand! 
Where else on earth are seen such sunset fires — 
What other race can boast 
More fearless dames and sires! 



17 



In the Land of Dakota 



A PRAIRIE SUNRISE 

Gray and silent is the morning — 
Shadows like some airy lawn 

Veil the prairies from our vision; 
Night is breaking into dawn. 

Look! Along the eastern heavens 
Yonder cloud a beacon glows, 

Touching all with mellow brightness; 
Gray is turning into rose. 

Sombre shadows swiftly vanish — 

Gorgeous are the fiery dyes 
That adorn the far horizons, 

Flooding earth, and air and skies. 

See ! The sun is slowly rising 
O'er the level fields of grain, 

Restless, golden billows surging 
On a vast and boundless main. — 

Hark! A distant sound is breaking 
Through the stillness deep and calm- 

O'er the prairies floats the cadence 
Of sweet Nature's morning psalm. 
i8 



In the Land of Dakota 



DAKOTA LAND, DAKOTA LAND 

Dakota Land, Dakota Land, 

We love thy rolling prairies; 

Thy "bad lands" yond Missouri's bed 

The fertile valley of the Red — 

Dakota Land, Dakota Land, 

We love thy rolling prairies. 

Dakota Land, Dakota Land, 

We love thy sunset fires; 

Thy sunny days, thy azure skies. 

Thy starry nights, thy sunrise dyes — 

Dakota Land, Dakota Land, 

We love thy sunset fires. 

Dakota Land, Dakota Land, 
We love thy modest wild rose; 
Thy fields of waving, golden grain, 
Like billows on a boundless main — 
Dakota Land, Dakota Land, 
We love thy modest wild rose. 

Dakota Land, Dakota Land, 
We love thy changing seasons ; 
Thy winter's cold, thy summer nights, 
19 



In the Land of Dakota 



Thy blust'ry spring, thy autumn bright- 
Dakota Land, Dakota Land, 
We love thy changing seasons. 

Dakota Land, Dakota Land, 
We love thy far horizons; 
No mountains hide the gorgeous dyes 
That paint with splendour western skies- 
Dakota Land, Dakota Land, 
We love thy far horizons. 



20 



In the Land of Dakota 



NORTH DAKOTA'S MISSION 

Pioneers of North Dakota 

Spread her fame! 
Bid thy youths and bid thy maidens 

Guard her name ! — 
Tell them of your dreams and visions — 
Tell them of your great ambitions; — 
How you fought to win the land ; 
Tell them of brave Custer's band. 

Tell them how you fought the Red Man, 

How he lost — 
Tell them North Dakota's story 

And the cost! — 
Can they too, like you, the price pay? 
Can they too, like you, their lives lay 
Down, if need be, for their state? 
Dare they share her every fate? — 
***** 

To the children of Dakota 

This we give, 
First of all, a glorious vision 

How to live — 
Them we give our mines and "bad lands," 
Prairies broad and fertile wheat lands 
21 



In the Land of Dakota 



Stretching from Missouri's bed 
To the Valley of the Red. 

And the fame of North Dakota's name 

Shall rise, 
Like the never-tiring Phoenix 

To the skies! — 
State of promise and of fair play, 
State where rises bright a new day 
For the weak and the oppressed, 
State which rhillions shall call blest ! 

Men and women of Dakota 

Who shall say 
What the fruitage of our efforts 

Of to-day? — 
Labor then, nor lose the vision 
Of this North Dakota's mission, 
To free body, soul, and mind. 
To help all their true work find. 



22 



In the Land of Dakota 



WE WHO HAVE LIVED IN DAKOTA 

We who have lived in Dakota 
We who have loved her right well, 
We who have known her, and tried her, 
Marvelous tales could we tell ; 
Tales of the Sioux and the Mandan, 
Tales of the Sheyenne as well; 
Deeds of brave Custer and Sully, 
Fain unto you we would tell. 

Hard have we worked, and we've conquered, 
Conquered the Red Man — the sod. — 
Over the primeval prairies 
Forward and onward we've trod. 
Fought we with sword and with ploughshare, 
Wresting our bread from the clod — 
Virgin and untouched we found it 
As left by the hand of our God. 



23 



In the Land of Dakota 



Yes, weVe weathered the blizzards. 
Crop failures many we've known. — 
Early and late have we labored, 
Felt the cold wind to the bone. — 
Glad we have been when our neighbor 
Garnered the golden grain. 
Knowing our mortgage was unpaid. 
And all of our efforts seemed vain. 

Glad have we been when the harvest 
Yielded an hundred-fold — 
Paying the debt and the mortgage, 
Lining our pockets with gold. 
Yes, we still love North Dakota, 
Knowing she'll compensate well 
Those who are willing to try her ; — 
To summer and winter her well. 



24 



MISCELLANEOUS VERSES 



In the Land of Dakota 



GUIDING VOICES 

Echoes of beloved voices 
Reach us in the silent night, 
Sooth the feverish, restless spirit. 
Bring us messages of light; 
Messages of love to cheer us 
Onward still, though dark the w^ay, 
Whispers fraught with hope and courage 
For the battles of the day. 

'Midst the clamor and the tumult 
And the din of shop and mill, 
Still the voices of our loved ones 
All our vibrant beings thrill 
With celestial music holy; 
Quenching lust, and pain and strife, 
Which are rife where Mammon reigneth 
All supreme in human life. 

When the evening shadows lengthen 
On life's pathway, as we go. 
And our sight is getting dimmer 
And the sands of time run low, 
"Courage, brother," still they whisper, 
"Keep the path, we'll guide the way. 
Till thou reach the land where shadows 
Lose themselves in Perfect Day." 
27 



In the Land of Dakota 



A PRAYER 

Make me gentle, Lord, and kind ; 

Honest, frugal, pure of mind; 
Patient, humble, meek and mild ; 

Trustful as a little child. 

Make me earnest, Lord, and strong 
Just and faithful; foe of wrong; 

Slow to anger ; friend of all ; 
Swift to answer duty's call. 



28 



In the Land of Dakota 



TO A FRIEND 

My love for thee, lips cannot tell, 
Nor words, nor actions, half as well 

As my full heart would wish ; 
But sometimes, in another land. 

When we have reached the Golden Strand 
I know, you'll surely understand. 



29 



In the Land of Dakota 



A DREAM 

It was midnight. And those spirits 
Who men's destinies control 
Were in solemn court assembled, 
Waiting for the bell to toll 
The final hour of the year; 
And what happened you will hear: 

Elves and gnomes and dwarfs came tripping 
On the light fantastic toe, 
From their distant caves and castles 
In the land of ice and snow; 
And the elf-king, white and hoary, 
From his throne arose and spoke: 
"Fellow spirits all, I greet you." 
(And just then old Father Time 
Rang out the old year — 1909.) 
"Friends, I feel our power is waning, — 
Man, our ward, is now proclaiming 
Among others, a most curious thing, 
That in a chair he likes to swing 
Because his ancestor, an ape. 
Was very apt to use his tape 
To swing himself from limb to limb 
Of trees and vines which on them cling. 
30 



In the Land of Dakota 



Moreover, he is now so learned 
That to a fossil he is turned, 
Instead of joining our free band 
Of spirits, in the fairy land." 

Silence reigned supreme a moment ; 
Then an old dwarf, ripe with age, 
Arose, and all those elves and fairies 
Bowed their heads a little space 
For that "grand old man," whose wisdom 
In that hall rang loud and clear: 
"Time has come when man no longer 
Feels he needs invoke our aid. 
For creation, now he tells us. 
By itself was surely made; — 
Blind he is to Nature's teachings, 
And so wise in his conceit 
That he would forget the lessons 
Taught by wayside flowers sweet ; 
By the river and the mountain 
And the myriad things that creep 
Upon the earth. And this wondrous 
Human being calls himself but a machine, 
Classed among the things he fashions 
From the metals earth doth yield. 
Ah, his very heart is hardening — 
31 



In the Land of Dakota 



Love no longer can hold sway 
When the heir of all creation 
Says he's only made of clay." 

***** 
I awoke from my light slumber 
At the New Year's earliest beam, 
Pondering deeply if a lesson 
Could be learned, e'en from a dream. 



32 



In the Land of Dakota 



THE LIGHT 

The way is long, the night is drear, 
I stumble on through doubt and fear; 

My heart grows numb, all hope takes flight; 
Oh, Father, let me see the light! 

Was it for me that He has died? 

Was it for me the Crucified 
Bore the deep anguish in the night? — 

Oh, Father, let me see the light! 

O doubting child, look up and see. 
It was for sinners, such as thee, 

Christ conquered sin, and death, and night. 
Look up, dear child, behold The Light! 



33 



In the Land of Dakota 



SISTER DEAR, I LOVE YOU SO 

Sister dear, I love you so! 

As the seasons come and go, 
Dearer still, my friend, you grow. 

Sister dear, I love you so ! 

Sister dear, I love you so ! 

Ah, forgive each thoughless blow^ ; 
Though IVe often hurt you — oh, 

Sister dear, I love you so ! 

Sister dear, I love you so ! 

May love's flame still brighter glow, 
Friendship's fires ne'er burn low. — 

Sister dear, I love you so! 

Sister dear, I love you so! 

As your birthdays come and go. 
Let me whisper, soft and low. 

Sister dear, I love you so! 

Sister dear, I love you so! 

When life's fires dimmer glow, 
Take this with you, as you go. 

Sister dear, I love you so! 
34 



In the Land of Dakota 



NIGHT WATCHES 

In the still watches of night 

Long ere the dawn comes a-creeping 

Over the eastern skies, 

Think of the hearts that are breaking ;- 

Oh, hear the moans and the sobbing — 

Feel how the pulses are throbbing, 

Just because some one was thoughtless.- 

Oh, was that someone you? 



35 



In the Land of Dakota 



MEN ARE THREE 

There are all kinds of people we meet on the road, 

As we travel along life's way; 

And some are surly and some are grave 

And others are jolly and gay. 

And some folks are short, while others are tall. 

Still others are skinny and thin — 

And some skip along, a-humming a song, 

But others are simply all in. 

But where'er they come from, or whither they go. 

We pigeon-hole each of them so. 

We group them, and sort them, and label them all. 

The short ones, the skinny, and tall. 

There's the man or the woman, the boy or the girl. 

That's always a-wishing a share 

In somebody's fortune, or somebody's fame. 

Yes, they wish for the moon 'way up there. — 

Then there's that group of persons 

Who talk, talk, and talk, 

You simply don't know what they say — 

From morning till night they keep talking away, 

And the night is like unto the day. — 

But quietly along, on the very same road, 

Walk others, with little to say, 

36 



In the Land of Dakota 



And if they have wishes (What mortals have not?), 

They put them discreetly away. 

They're the workers, the lifters of burdens, — who 

dare 
To fight for the right if need be, 
Alone 'gainst a world — 
And defiance they hurl 
To all tyrants wherever they be. 

You have met these three classes of people, I'm sure, 

As you've traveled adown life's way — 

The folks with their wish-bone enormously grown, 

And the "jaw-bones," who talk all the day. — 

And I know you have shunned them. 

As others have done 

From the day that time began, 

But you've hailed with delight, 

And you've longed for the sight 

Of the steady, quiet, "back-boned" man. 



37 



In the Land of Dakota 



SMILES AND TEARS 

Swift run the hours on to days 

And days to years — 
And each and every one is filled 

With smiles or tears. 

Sometimes the skies are over-cast 

The live-long Day — 
But w^hen the sun shall smile again 

Why, w^ho can say! 



38 



In the Land of Dakota 



COLUMBIA TO SHAKESPEARE 

(An Appreciation) 

We are gathered here from the ends of the earth, 
The children of Teuton and Celt ; 
The children, too, of Latin and Slav 
At Liberty's shrine have knelt. 

America is proud to take 

From out of bondage and strife. 

And weave them all into one great whole, 

These strands of human life. 

She'll dye them all in the self-same red 
Of Liberty's crimson hue; 
And place them as the glorious stars 
On Freedom's field of blue. 

And we, the children of all the earth, 
To thee, poet of all times, 
Bring honor, and laurel, and love as well — 
And crown thee, king of rhymes. 

Thou brought us to the very homes 
Of Saxon, Dane and Moor, 
And sweetly sang thy choicest lays 
Alike to rich and poor. 

39 



In the Land of Dakota 



Thou didst act well, thy every part, 
On this brief stage of life ; 
Thou taught us too, our parts to play 
In peaceful work, or strife. 



Renowned bard of Albion's land 
America bids thee rise 
Like Phoenix, fabled from of old- 
Immortal, to the skies. 



40 



In the Land of Dakota 



THE ANSWER 

Writ In the skies above me 
In sentence of purest gold, 

In answer to age-long questions: 
God ruleth as of old ! 



THE IMMIGRANT TO THE STARS AND 
STRIPES 

O Flag, on all the earth the best, 

Thou emblem of true liberty, 
We, immigrants from all the earth, 

Pledge thee our love and loyalty ! 
Thy crimson bars to us are dear. 

Thy stars with hope our hearts imbue ; 
Thou emblem of fraternity. 

We will be true, yes true to you ! 



41 



In the Land of Dakota 



O Flag, thou flag of Washington, 

Thou emblem of democracy, 
We'll follow thee, whate'er befall, 

We pledge to thee our fealty ! 
Our brain, our brawn, our life, our all — 

America, we give to you! 
With heart and hand we pledge anew 

To God and you, we will be true ! 

We will be true, )^es, true to you, 

O Flag, and all for which you stand : 
Equality and liberty 

And happiness throughout the land. — 
Thy foster sons, America, 

Will serve thee well — thy daughters too; 
Their life, their all, they pledge anew, 

O Stars and Stripes, to you — to you ! 



42 



In the Land of Dakota 



THE PEACE OF THE WOODS 

Oh, oft when I come to the city, 
I long for the peace of the woods; 
For the sighing of winds in the pine trees 
And the laughter of running brooks; 
The chatter of squirrel and chipmunk, 
The call of the shy wood dove. — 
Oh, the forest's the place to listen 
To that grandest of anthems — Love. 

Ere the darksome shades of the forest 

Have vanished, at early dawn, 

A million happy creatures 

Are chanting their morning psalm ; 

They sing of the joy of living, 

In happiness, peace, and love. 

And gratefully raise their voices 

To the great All-Giver above. 



43 



In the Land of Dakota 



And I, in a gladsome spirit, 
Join in with the happy throng; 
Sustained, and strengthened, and soothed. 
By Nature's mighty song. — 
And oft when I come to the city, 
I long for that song of love. 
That the forest's happy creatures 
Raise to the Father above. 



44 



In the Land of Dakota 



KEEP THE PATH CLEAR! 

Oh, do not trifle with friendship, I pray, 
Guard it more closely each swift-flying day; 
Gifts the most precious, and gold cannot pay 
For friendship once broken. 
It's vanished for aye ! — 

Keep clear the path to your friend's heart, I pray! 
Weeds of f orgetf ulness soon choke the way ; 
Pass that way often ; keep polished, I pray, 
The flagstones that guide you down friendship's 
own way! 



45 




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